You are here

PISCATAWAY, NJ – Following a long-sought victory for 9/11 first responders – passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) held a press conference with first responders and spoke with patients at the World Trade Center Health Program clinic at Rutgers. The Zadroga Act was permanently reauthorized as part of the omnibus spending bill, which passed on Friday. As an original co-sponsor of the bill and as the lead Democrat on the committee of jurisdiction, Pallone has been integral in advancing the bill and was responsible for negotiating the final language for permanent reauthorization within the omnibus spending bill. The reauthorization will ensure responders and survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center continue to receive the monitoring and care they need.

“There is nowhere more important or relevant to be than World Trade Center Health Program in Piscataway to commemorate and highlight the passage of the Zadroga 9/11 Health Act,” said Congressman Pallone. “I thank and congratulate our 9/11 first responders for their years of tireless work, which has culminated in victory. I am proud to have waged this fight with them. With our first responders – at Ground Zero, in the halls of Congress and in the shadow of the Capitol – we let the world know that when heroes answer the call for help when we need them most, our country must have their back.”

The World Trade Center Health Program at Rutgers’ Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI) in Piscataway is treating over 4,800 responders or survivors. It would have expired in 2016 if Congress did not reauthorize the program.

Pallone was joined by first responders and Dr. Iris Udasin, Medical Director, EOHSI Clinical Center.